COMPETITION AND COMPASSION
THROUGH ITS SPORTS HUB EXHIBITION, TAG HEUER AFFIRMED ITS CONNECTION TO THE WORLD OF COMPETITIVE SPORT AND ITS DEDICATION TO PHILANTHROPY
swiss watch brand tag Heuer is famed for, among others, its four “universes,” which include heritage, lifestyle, art and sport. The sporty side of the brand was on full display last august when it launched the sports Hub exhibition at senayan city, Jakarta.
as the name of the event implies, there were plenty of sport themed exhibits and activities. a penalty booth was set up for visitors confident in their football skills, while those more interested in motorsport could try their hand at the gran turismo booth. speaking of which, a gorgeous aston martin db11 was also on display. both tag Heuer and the british luxury sports car manufacturer have deep roots in sport, with the latter is the title sponsor for the aston martin red bull racing formula one team, while the former is the official timekeeper. naturally, plenty of tag Heuer timepieces were also on display.
also unsurprisingly, the opening event of tag Heuer’s sports Hub exhibit was quite extraordinary. more importantly, it also involved a large dose of charity and beautifully showcased the brand’s motto of “don’t crack under pressure.” to be exact, guests to the opening event witnessed five extraordinary figures try their best at not cracking under immense pressure.
Ride for Charity
to mark the opening of the sports Hub exhibit and at the same time emphasize the whole sports theme, tag Heuer organized an exhilarating cycling challenge. of course, it was a static
cycling challenge, what with the exhibit’s indoor location, but it still made for quite a show. Let’s start with the setup: five static bikes—for four celebrity challengers and their instructor—were set on stage as part of a simulated race. so, as the contestants started racing, their progress was projected in a simulated 3d environment, allowing spectators to follow the competition and see the relative position between racers.
furthermore, the race was also held to raise funds for yayasan olahraga anak nusantara, better known as the yoan foundation, a local non-profit organization dedicated to the development of young athletes into future champions. for every kilometer clocked in by the racers, tag Heuer would donate a certain amount to the foundation.
and now to the contestants. first and foremost was national football player bambang pamungkas, followed by musician and triathlete fajar alexa. Then there was professional bodybuilding champion Heintje pojoh and finally actor and sportscaster ibnu Jamil—who is also the founder of yoan foundation. of the four, only fajar alexa had any real experience in competitive cycling. That being said, all four really put their heart—and physiques—into training in preparation for the race. and they were also led by cycling instructor Helen tan, so they were in good hands.
The actual race was short but intense, especially with the exhortations from host daniel mananta and the roar of the assembled crowd—including visitors to the mall who cheered on from the upper floors. fajar alexa had to deal with mechanical problems early on, but he quickly joined his fellow racers in eating up the kilometers.
at the end, all five cyclists were slumped over their bikes, sweat-drenched and exhausted, but grinning ear-to-ear. as corny as it may sound, having these four non-cyclists take on a challenge that none of them were fully prepared for and ending strong was a literal manifestation of the “don’t crack under pressure” spirit. That they did so for a good cause only made it all that much better.
A Time for Sport
not long after the race ended, a group of children supported by the yoan foundation was called up along with ibnu Jamil to receive the ceremonial winning check—very generously rounded-up—presented by irwan danny mussry, president and ceo of time international.
The evening then continued with a tour of the exhibition grounds for the four racers and vip guests. The venue quickly took on a festive apperance as attendees mingled, browsed and queued up for the various activities on offer. The sports Hub exhibition itself ran from august 15 to 26. and perhaps it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine that among all the visitors to the exhibit, of all the children supported by the yoan foundation—perhaps one of the youngster who appeared at the opening event, perhaps some of them would grow into top tier athletes. and then it would be them that would show a new generation just what it means to not crack under pressure.
“Having these four take on a challenge that none of them were prepared for was a literal manifestation of the ‘ don’t crack under pressure’ spirit”